Cheoy Lee Alpha 76 Flybridge: Put the Sport in Sport Yacht

Although Cheoy Lee is known for its long range motoryachts, with its second sport yacht, the Alpha 76 Flybridge, this builder proves that change can be a good thing.

With a roomy flybridge, this 76 is designed for those who want an upper deck for entertaining as well as for driving. Here, the helm station is protected by a fiberglass hard top. Like the 76 Express, the flybridge version was designed to appeal to an owner/operator. The 76 is based on a moderate-V planing form.

Cheoy Lee has been building boats for 140 years, yet with the Alpha line, the company entered new territory. To create a flybridge model that could run 37 knots at wide-open throttle, the builder partnered with experts in the sport yacht field. It consulted with Gurit/SP-High Modulus on structural design and weight-saving materials. For hull expertise, Cheoy Lee tapped Michael Peters Yacht Design.

With a beam of 19’8”, the 76 is about 18 inches wider than many boats of similar length which makes for a serviceable engine room and roomy accommodations, and aids stability under way. Yet Cheoy Lee still puts a high premium on a slippery hull design and weight control to maximize speed and performance. Like all fiberglass models from Cheoy Lee, this one is cored, resin-infused and vacuum-bagged.

Unlike the Express version, which puts the galley forward of the helm and down in an atrium-style layout, the 76 Flybridge locates the meal-prep area at the aft end of the salon, where it’s close to the doors leading out to the cockpit. This arrangement makes it easy to serve meals in the cockpit, which is nicely protected by the bridge’s overhang.

While the 76 Express has a lower helm station located on centerline, the Flybridge model puts the driver’s seat to starboard. By moving the helm to the right, the builder was able to carve out space for a big, U-shaped dinette to port.

Among the Cheoy Lee’s nicest features are the oversized saloon windows that both enhance a dramatic exterior profile and make for a well-lit entertaining area. This isn’t typical glazing, though. Here, Cheoy Lee incorporates SPD-SmartGlass light-control technology so an owner can control the amount of light, glare and heat coming through the windows while preserving the view or maintaining privacy.

On the Flybridge version, the accommodations level has been reconfigured for three huge suites (each with a queen berth), plus a day head and laundry room. The Express has two suites and a third cabin with bunks.

The full-beam master stateroom showcases the expertise and good eye of Luiz de Basto of Miami, who was brought in to do the interior design on both Alpha models. De Basto is known for his creative use of natural light. In this stateroom, he chose to take advantage of the big windows on both sides of the space, leaving them all completely open for dramatic views.

While the Alpha 76 Flybridge has unique features of its own, it’s offered with many of the creature comforts found on the Express, including recessed seating at the bow and a hot tub in the cockpit.

Jeanne Craig has been covering powerboats since 1988. She spent ten years as a senior editor at Boating magazine and ten more as executive editor at Motor Boating. She’s now an independent writer based in Rowayton, Connecticut, where she’s close to the cruising grounds she most enjoys.